Pipeline Design & Engineering

Engineering hiring has changed dramatically.

Want to learn what actually helps engineers stand out and what great companies do to attract top talent?

Meet Larry Copponi.

For more than 40 years, Larry has helped engineering organizations build teams that bring products to life. As VP of Staffing Solutions at Spanner, he works with companies across medical devices, robotics, consumer products, renewable energy, and more.

In this conversation, Larry shares:
• Why LinkedIn may be more important than your resume
• Common hiring mistakes engineering managers make
• What separates great engineering cultures from struggling ones
• How AI is changing the future of engineering careers
• The soft skills that help engineers win opportunities

If you've ever hired an engineer, interviewed for a role, or wondered how engineering careers are evolving, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Interviewing for engineering roles can feel frustrating which is why we wanted Larry Copponi on this weeks episode.

Larry has spent more than four decades helping engineering companies hire talent. He knows what engineers need to be doing to get their foot in the door.

Listen to our latest episode of Being an Engineer Podcast for practical insights that you can take and apply today.

S7E24 Larry Copponi | The Most Important Skill To Get Hired As An Engineer

Listen to the full episode here 🎧: https://teampipeline.us/being-an-engineer-podcast/

Watch the full episode here ▶️: https://youtu.be/Pyfwg6O5noQ

For more than 40 years, Larry Copponi has been working at the intersection of engineering talent and product innovation. Today, he serves as Vice President of Staffing Solutions at Spanner Product Development, where he helps companies across industries assemble the engineering teams they need to bring complex products to life.

Larry’s work spans sectors including consumer electronics, robotics, renewable energy, life sciences, and medical devices. His team specializes in placing highly skilled professionals—mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, product designers, industrial designers, and quality engineers—into organizations that are racing to transform ideas into real-world products. By deeply understanding both the technical landscape and the people who power it, Larry plays a critical role in helping companies scale their engineering capabilities.

Before joining Spanner, Larry spent more than 14 years as Division Manager at Pro Source Inc., supporting companies with contract engineering talent and CAD professionals to keep product development projects on schedule. Earlier in his career, he helped build recruiting and sales teams at TriMech Solutions, where he launched new recruiting initiatives focused on engineering and technical sales professionals.

Across decades in the recruiting and staffing industry, Larry has built a reputation for understanding the real needs of engineering organizations—matching the right talent to the right challenges and helping companies deliver products to market faster. His career offers a rare vantage point on how engineering teams evolve, how companies compete for talent, and what separates organizations that build strong technical cultures from those that struggle to grow.

In this conversation, Larry shares lessons from decades of working alongside engineering leaders, insights into the hiring challenges facing technical organizations today, and practical advice for both companies looking to build great teams and engineers navigating their careers.